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AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY 

%  Practical  (Snibz  far  tfje  Jteginner 


BY 

W.I.LINCOLN  ADAMS 

Editor  of  The  Photographic  Times, 
The  American  Annual  of  Photography, 
The  Photographic  Instructor,  etc.,  etc* 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  CO. 

1893 


Copyright,  1893, 

BY 

The  Baker  &  Taylor  Co. 


ROBERT  DRUMMOND,  ELECTROTYPER  AND   PRINTER,  NEW  YORK. 


2To  jfH»  jFatfjer, 
W.    IRVING  ADAMS. 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  the  following  chapters  on  Ama- 
teur Photography  in  book  form,  the  author  wishes 
to  make  public  acknowledgment  to  the  editors 
of  The  Christian  Union  and  Outing,  by  whose 
permission  they  are  here  reprinted,  with  neces- 
sary revision  and  additions,  from  the  respective 
periodicals  wherein  they  first  appeared. 

The  first  six  chapters  were  originally  printed 
in  the  Home  Department  of  The  Christian  Union. 
Of  the  remaining  chapters  that  on  Composite 
Photography  was  written  for  Outing.  The  other 
chapters  have  appeared  in  The  Photographic 
Times.  The  tables  in  the  Appendix  were  col- 
lected from   various  sources,  several   having  ap- 

7 


8 


PREFACE. 


peared  in  their  present  form  in  The  American 
Annual  of  Photography. 

The  entire  matter  has  been  carefully  revised, 
rearranged,  and  brought  up  to  date.  In  its  pres- 
ent more  convenient  form  it  is  hoped  a  wider 
field  for  usefulness  may  be  opened  than  was 
possible  for  the  articles  as  they  originally  ap- 
peared. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Apparatus,  n 

CHAPTER  II. 

In  the  Field,  .      .  18 

CHAPTER  III. 
In  the  Dark  Room,  24 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Printing  and  Toning,  34 

CHAPTER  V. 

Portraiture,  43 

CHAPTER  VI. 


Instantaneous  Photography,     .      .      .      *      „  .51 

9 


IO 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PAGE 

Flash-light  Photography,        .      .      .      .      .  .57 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Orthochromatic  or  Color-sensitive  Photography,      .  63 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Composite  Photography,    .   '   .      .      .      .      .  .70 

CHAPTER  X, 

The  '  Fathers  of  Photography,"  78 

APPENDIX. 

Tables,  Formulae,  etc.,  87 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

APPARATUS. 

The  first  requisite  for  making  good  photo- 
graphs is  a  good  camera.  It  need  not  be  of 
complicated  construction,  highly  polished,  and  cor- 
respondingly highly  priced.  Indeed,  the  simpler 
the  camera  the  better,  if  it  be  perfectly  light- 
tight  and  able  to  do  the  work  which  is  required 
of  it.  So  simple  a  contrivance  as  a  darkened 
room,  with  a  small  hole  at  one  end,  served  for 
a  camera  before  photography  was  really  discov- 
ered, and  such  a  camera  made  pictures,  too, 
though  not  photographs. 

ii 


12 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


Now,  this  dark  room,  or  camera-obscura,  greatly- 
reduced  in  size,  so  as  to  be  easily  carried  from 
place  to  place,  and  furnished  with  a  lens  for 
collecting  the  rays  of  light  from  the  subject  be- 
fore it  to  be  photographed,  and  thus  throwing  the 
image  of  it  on  the  glass  plate  within  and  at 
the  opposite  end  of  the  box,  is  the  model  of 
our  modern  photographic  camera,  and  contains 
all  that  is  required  to  make  good  photographs. 

Any  one  can.  make  a  camera  if  at  all  handy 
with  tools,  though  it  will  probably  cost  more  in 
the  end  and  will  not  be  so  good  or  so  convenient  in 
use  as  one  which  may  be  purchased  for  a  few 
dollars. 

Cameras  are  very  cheap  now,  good  ones  of  fair 
size  ranging  in  price  from  two  dollars  and  a  half 
to  twenty-five  dollars.  Specially  made  and  orna- 
mental cameras  of  moderate  dimensions  some- 
times cost  as  much  as  one  hundred  dollars; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  a  complete  photographic 
outfit,  including  a  landscape  lens,  dry  plates,  de- 
veloping and  printing  materials,  may  be  bought 
for  only  two  dollars  and  a  half. 

The  best  camera  for  general  use  is  one  which 
will  make   photographs  four  by   five   inches,  or 


APPARA  TUS. 


13 


five  by  eight  inches,  in  size,  adjusted  for  use  on 
a  tripod,  and  which  is  of  a  plain  pattern  and 
strong  in  construction. 


The  above  is  a  picture  of  a  typical  camera 
of  this  class,  from  which  can  easily  be  learned 
the  use  of  those  necessary  parts  which  every 
good  camera  should  have. 

First  of  all,  a  camera  should  be  as  light  and 
compact  as  is  consistent  with  a  fair  amount  of 
strength.  It  should  be  capable  of  reversing,  so 
that  an  upright  picture  may  be  made  when  the 
character  of  the  subject  requires  it.  In  the  one 
illustrated   this   is   accomplished   by   turning  the 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


camera  on  end  and  securing  it  to  the  tripod 
by  the  screw,  which  also  fits  into  a  plate  on 
the  side.  The  front-board  which  bears  the  lens 
should  be  capable  of  moving  upward  and  down- 
ward, so  that  more  or  less  of  the  sky  or  fore- 
ground may  be  taken  in  the  picture  by  simply 
moving  the  lens  upward  or  downward.  And 
then  what  is  called  a  "  swing  back "  is  also  a 
great  convenience,  as  it  enables  the  photographer 
to  point  his  camera  upward  or  downward  in 
order  to  take  in  a  high  building  or  the  ground 
very  near  his  feet. 

The  front  part  of  the  camera  which  bears  the 
lens  is  connected  with  the  back  part  which  holds 
the  plate  by  means  of  an  elastic  bellows,  so 
that  a  "sharp"  focus — by  which  is  meant  clear- 
ness of  the  image  on  the  ground  glass — may  be 
obtained  by  moving  the  plate  nearer  to  or  far- 
ther from  the  lens.  Just  how  to  focus,  however, 
we  shall  learn  when  we  go  into  the  fields  with 
our  camera. 

The  lens  is  a  very  important  instrument,  as  it 
forms  the  image  of  the  picture  to  be  photo- 
graphed on  the  sensitive  plate.  It  should  be 
selected  with  the  utmost  care,  and  if  only  a  mod- 


APPARA  TUS. 


erate  amount  of  money  can  be  spent  on  the  out- 
fit, we  should  advise  economizing  on  the  camera 
rather  than  on  the  lens.  There  are  many  kinds 
of  lenses,  and  they  vary  in  price  from  three  dol- 
lars and  a  half  to  fifty  or  even  seventy-five  dol- 


LENS. 


lars,  for  the  size  of  cameras  we  have  been  con- 
sidering. A  good  "  single  view "  lens,  as  it  is 
called,  costs  only  four  dollars  and  a  half,  and  is 
perfectly  capable  of  making  the  best  landscape 
photographs,  as  well  as  groups  of  one's  friends, 


i6 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


and  portraits ;  but  it  will  not  make  instantane- 
ous pictures  unless  the  light  is  very  strong  and 
the  plate  used  is  very  sensitive ;  and  it  cannot 
make  photographs  of  interiors,  as  the  picture  of 
one's  room  or  the  inside  of  a  church. 

For  interior  work  a  wide-angle  lens  must  be 
used  ;  and  for  instantaneous  photographs  one 
which  is  called  a  "  rapid  rectilinear "  lens,  which 
means  that  it  is  very  quick-working  and  makes 
an  image  with  perfectly  straight  lines,  as  the 
original  subject  appears  in  nature.  Such  lenses 
of  domestic  make,  which  are  now  in  every  way 
the  equal  of  the  best  imported  lenses,  cost  from 
twenty-five  to  seventy-five  dollars. 

The  other  necessary  piece  of  apparatus  is  the 
tripod.  It  should  be  light  but  strong,  and  capa- 
ble of  being  lengthened  or  shortened  so  as  to 
overcome  unevenness  of  the  ground,  as  the 
camera  must  always  stand  perfectly  level. 

A  tripod  does  not  cost  very  much,  the  very 
best  being  priced  at  three  dollars  and  a  half. 
It  is  easily  put  together  and  taken  apart,  and 
does  not  require  any  special  description  at  this 
time. 

There    are    many   other  things   which  go  to 


APPARATUS.  17 

make  up  a  complete  photographic  outfit,  but 
just  now  we  need  not  regard  them.  We  have 
examined  the  essential  parts  of  a  working  equip- 


ment, and  are  prepared  to  go  into  the  field  and 
make  our  pictures.  When  we  are  actually  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  photographing  we  shall 
learn  more  about  the  outfit  and  how  it  should  be 
used. 


18 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  II. 

IN    THE  FIELD. 

Having  carefully  examined  our  apparatus,  let 
us  now  wander  afield  and  try  our  skill  at  making 
pictures. 

What  shall  we  photograph  first  ?  Let  us  look 
about  us,  and  see  what  most  attracts  our  attention. 
There  are  pretty  subjects  on  every  hand,  and 
many  of  them  will  make  beautiful  photographs, 
though  we  cannot  "  take  "  them  all  at  this  time  of 
day,  with-  the  light  falling  as  it  does.  We  can 
only  photograph  those  subjects  which  lie  in  front 
of  us  when  our  back  is  turned  toward  the  sun. 
That  little  meadow  brook  straying  along  by  the 
old  tumble-down,  vine-covered  pasture-fence 
yonder  makes  a  pretty  picture  and  one  that  is 
easy  to  photograph.  Let  us  set  up  our  camera 
and  look  at  it  through  our  lens. 

First,  we  must  unstrap  the  tripod  and  adjust  it. 
This  is   easily  done  by  setting  it   up  and  then 


IN  THE  FIELD.  1 9 

spreading  the  legs  so  that  one  comes  exactly  in 
front  of  us  and  one  on  each  side.  Now  take  the 
camera  from  its  carrying  case,  and  secure  it  firmly 
on  the  tripod  by  means  of  the  "  set  "  screw,  which 
protrudes  up  through  the  tripod  top  and  into  the 
bottom  or  "  bed "  of  the  camera.  Then  adjust 
the  lens  (which  comes  packed  reversed  in  the 
camera)  so  that  it  faces  outwards  from  the  front- 
board,  right  side  up.  Our  apparatus  is  now  ready 
for  use ;  but  before  we  can  make  our  photograph 
we  must  "  focus "  the  image  upon  the  ground 
glass  of  the  camera. 

This  is  done  by  excluding  all  surrounding  light 
by  means  of  a  black  cloth  thrown  over  the  opera- 
tor's head,  and  held  closely  around  the  camera 
and  underneath  it.  Take  the  cap  off  from  the 
lens,  and  you  see  but  a  blurred  image,  upside 
down,  on  the  ground  glass  focusing  screen  in  front 
of  your  face.  Move  the  glass  a  little  nearer  the 
lens,  and  the  image  may  become  somewhat  more 
distinct.  If  it  does  not,  you  must  draw  the  glass 
toward  yourself  and  away  from  the  lens,  when  the 
picture  will  surely  grow  clearer.  At  a  certain 
point  the  image  will  appear  most  clear,  or 
"  sharp,"  as  photographers  say.    If  you   go  be- 


SO 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


yond  this  point  the  picture  will  grow  indistinct, 
and  if  you  do  not  reach  it  the  image  will  con- 
tinue to  be  dim  ;  so  that  it  is  easy  to  determine 
just  where  the  ground  glass  should  be  secured, 
for  there  the  picture  is  clearest.  This  point  is 
called  the  "  focus/'  and  here  the  frame  which 
carries  the  ground  glass,  and,  later,  the  plate- 
holder  containing  the  sensitive  plate,  is  fastened 
by  means  of  a  little  thumbscrew.  Having  accom- 
plished so  much,  we  may  proceed  to  examine  the 
inverted  picture  on  the  ground  glass  as  to  its 
artistic  composition. 

On  looking  at  the  subject  we  have  chosen,  on 
the  focusing  glass,  we  find  that  we  can  decidedly 
improve  our  picture.  We  should  have  more  fore- 
ground and  not  nearly  so  much  sky,  and  the 
pretty  little  clump  of  trees  on  the  extreme  right 
of  our  picture  should  be  brought  into  view,  in 
order  to  balance  the  old  fence  with  its  weeds  and 
vines  on  the  left.  We  take  in  more  foreground 
and  shut  out  more  sky  by  lowering  the  front 
board  which  bears  our  lens.  The  graceful  elm 
trees  are  brought  into  our  picture  by  simply 
turning  the  camera  a  little  to  the  right,  on  the 
tripod,  without  moving  it  in  any  other  way. 


IN  THE  FIELD. 


21 


We  are  now  ready  to  make  the  "  exposure,"  as 
photographers  say.  First  we  recap  the  lens,  and 
then  in  the  place  which  the  ground  glass  occupied 
we  fasten  one  of  our  plate-holders,  which  was 
filled  with  two  plates  in  the  dark  room  (one  on 
each  side),  and  throw  our  focusing  cloth  over  the 
camera  to  exclude  any  light  which  might  leak  in. 
On  such  a  bright  morning  as  this,  with  the 
medium-sized  aperture  in  our  landscape  lens,  and 
a  sensitive  plate  in  our  plate-holder,  four  seconds 
will  be  ample  time  to  sufficiently  impress  the 
image  of  the  beautiful  picture  before  us  on  our 
plate  in  the  camera.  In  timing  an  exposure  I 
find  it  easier  to  count  double  the  number  quite 
rapidly  than  to  count  the  exact  number  of 
seconds  more  slowly.  (One  can  easily  determine 
just  how  fast  one  should  count  by  timing  one's  self 
with  a  watch.)  Draw  the  slide  from  the  plate- 
holder  which  is  nearest  the  lens,  so  that  the  plate 
within  has  nothing  between  it  and  the  subject 
except  the  cap  on  the  lens.  When  this  is  taken 
off,  the  light  transmits  our  picture  through  the 
lens  and  on  to  the  sensitive  plate.  As  you  re- 
move the  cap  from  the  lens,  carefully,  so  as  not 
to  jar  the  camera,  count  "one,"  and  place  it  over 


22 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


the  lens  again  when  you  say  "  eight."  The  slide 
should  now  be  re-inserted  in  the  plate-holder,  but 
this  time  with  the  silicate-coated  side  out,  so  that 
you  can  write  on  it  with  a  slate-pencil  the  name 
of  your  subject,  the  length  of  exposure,  the  time 
of  day,  the  date,  and  any  other  particulars  con- 
cerning the  picture  which  you  think  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  preserve. 

When  one  is  not  quite  sure  how  long  to  expose 
a  plate  on  a  certain  subject,  it  is  well  to  use  a 
second  plate  on  the  same  subject,  giving  it  a 
different  time,  longer  or  shorter,  and  note  in  de- 
veloping afterward  which  plate  makes  the  best 
negative.  Thus  one  learns  by  experience  how 
long  a  time  to  give  one's  subjects  under  certain 
conditions  of  light,  and  a  guide  is  formed  for 
future  trials. 

But  we  do  not  need  to  expose  a  second  plate 
on  this  view,  as  it  is  quite  certain  four  seconds 
will  be  enough ;  and  if  it  should  prove  too  long 
a  time,  we  can  "  restrain "  the  development  by 
means  which  we  shall  learn  when  we  go  into  the 
dark  room.  Let  us  continue  our  search  for  the 
picturesque,  and  expose  the  five  remaining  plates 
which  we  have  in  our  holders.    We  must  remem- 


IN  THE  FIELD. 


23 


ber,  however,  that  a  photograph  should  only  be 
made  with  the  sun  shining  from  behind  the 
camera  or  at  one  side.  We  cannot  photograph 
successfully  with  it  shining  directly  into  our  lens ; 
at  least,  in  the  beginning.  And  we  should  choose 
the  simplest  subjects  at  first — landscapes  and 
other  stationary  objects.  We  shall  then  be  the 
better  prepared  to  photograph  more  difficult 
subjects,  as  they  present  themselves  in  the  future. 


24 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN  THE  DARK  ROOM. 

It  now  becomes  our  pleasant  duty  to  "de- 
velop,"  as  it  is  termed,  in  a  dark  room  the  sensi- 
tive plates  which  we  "  exposed "  in  our  camera 
in  the  fields.  But  before  doing  so  we  must  fit 
up  a  dark  room  and  prepare  the  solutions. 

A  dark  room  may  easily  be  improvised  by  the 
amateur.  Any  room  from  which  all  rays  of  sun 
or  white  light  can  be  excluded  will  answer  the 
purpose  perfectly  well.  The  bathroom  or  kitchen 
may  be  used  in  the  evening,  and  are  very  con- 
venient, too,  for  here  we  can  use  running  water 
and  have  plenty  of  it.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
light  our  ruby  lantern  (which  came  with  the  out- 
fit), unpack  our  trays  and  wash  them,  and  make 
our  solutions  according  to  the  directions  which 
are  given. 

Where  running  water  cannot  be  had,  as,  for 
instance,  in  a  dark  room  fitted  up  in  the  cellar, 


IN  THE  DARK  ROOM. 


25 


garret,  or  barn,  or  when  we  are  using  a  spare 
closet  for  a  developing  room,  or  even  one's  own 
bedroom,  we  must  add  to  our  outfit  a  large  pail 
for  holding  fresh  water,  and  another  pail  or  slop- 
jar  for  receiving  the  waste  water  and  old  solu- 
tions. 

Unless  we  have  a  dark  room  which  is  perfectly 
light-tight,  we  can  develop  in  it  only  after  sun- 
down, for  if  a  single  ray  of  white  light  reaches 
our  sensitive  plate  it  will  be  spoiled  at  once. 
Red  light,  however,  does  not  affect  the  sensitive 
surface  of  photographic  plates  or  paper,  so  we 
can  develop  by  it  with  perfect  safety.  The  pho- 
tographer can  make  his  own  red  lantern  without 
much  trouble  and  expense,  but  a  very  convenient 
little  ruby  lantern,  giving  a  good  light  to  work 
by,  can  be  had  for  a  dollar  and  a  quarter,  and 
even  cheaper  ones  may  be  purchased  for  fifty 
cents. 

When  one  is  so  fortunate  as  to  have  a  spe- 
cially made  dark  room  which  is  absolutely  light- 
proof,  one  can  develop  in  it  by  day  as  well  as 
at  evening,  by  simply  covering  one  window,  or 
a  small  portion  of  the  window,  with  a  sheet  of 
ruby  glass  or  paper.    The  white  light  which  then 


26 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY, 


passes  through  the  window  becomes  red  before  it 
enters  the  dark  room,  and  so  is  perfectly  harm- 
less to  all  photographic  operations.  At  night,  of 
course,  the  lantern  must  be  resorted  to,  the  same 


THE   RUBY  LANTERN. 


as  in  the  case  of  the  other  dark  rooms  men- 
tioned. 

A  complete  developing  outfit  should  contain, 
in  addition  to  the  ruby  lantern  which  we  have 
already  spoken  of,  two  trays  of  the  proper  size,  a 
4-ounce  glass  graduate  and  a  minim  graduate  for 
measuring  our  solutions,  and  a  small  pair  of 
scales.  The  chemicals  required  are :  a  package  of 
dry  plates  (which,  of  course,  were  purchased  with 


IN  THE  DARK  ROOM. 


27 


the  camera),  a  pound  of  hyposulphite  of  soda,  a 
pound  of  alum,  an  ounce  of  bromide  of  am- 
monium, and  a  package  of  developer  containing 
two  solutions.  A  bottle  of  negative  varnish  is 
sometimes  included,  though  for  most  amateurs' 
purposes  it  is  not  necessary  to  varnish  a  negative. 

Having  found  and  fitted  up  the  dark  room 
with  the  utensils  and  chemicals  enumerated,  we 
are  ready  to  develop  our  first  plate. 

There  are  many  developers  in  the  market 
already  prepared  for  the  amateur's  use,  and  it  is 
fully  as  well,  at  least  in  the  beginning,  and  more 
economical  to  use  one  of  these  ready-prepared 
developers  instead  of  making  your  own.  First, 
at  least,  learn  the  use  of  the  reliable  one,  con- 
sisting of  pyrogallol,  carbonate  of  potash,  sul- 
phite of  soda,  and  other  substances.  In  case  any 
one  should  want  to  make  it  for  himself,  we 
give  the  exact  formula.  It  is  composed  as  fol- 
lows : 


A. 


Pyrogallol  , 

Sulphite  of  soda  (crystals) 

Sulphurous  acid  

Water  


10  ounces 


4  ounces 


1  ounce 


4  ounces 


28  AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY* 


B. 


Carbonate  of  potash  

Carbonate  of  soda  (granulated) 
Water  *  


10  ounces 


3  ounces 
i  drachm 


The  developing  solution  is  formed  by  taking  I 
dram  each  of  the  above  solutions,  A  and  B,  to  I 
ounce  of  water.  It  will  be  found  more  con- 
venient and  more  economical  to  buy  the  de- 
veloper already  prepared,  as  has  been  said.  It 
comes  in  two  solutions,  and  the  developing  bath 
itself  is  composed  as  was  just  stated.  Let  us 
proceed  to  try  it  on  the  first  plate  which  we  ex- 
posed. 

We  take  up  one  holder  containing  the  two 
plates,  and,  observing  which  side  contained  the 
first  exposure  by  the  notes  on  the  silicate  slide, 
we  carefully  remove  it  from  the  holder,  and 
place  it  in  a  tray  filled  wTith  pure  water.  Here 
we  allow  it  to  soak  for  a  few  moments,  and  then 
immerse  it  in  the  developing  solution  which  we 
have  just  made,  and  which  is  contained  in  the 
other  tray.  In  handling  the  plate,  be  careful  not 
to  touch  the  sensitive  side,  which  can  easily  be 
determined  by  its   appearance,  even  in  the  dim 


IN  THE  DARK  ROOM. 


29 


ruby  light,  for  the  back  of  the  plate  is  plain 
glass  and  glistens,  while  the  sensitive  side  has  a 
dull  appearance.  It  should  be  held  by  its  edges, 
as  shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch. 


HOLDING   THE  PLATE. 


The  image  should  not  be  long  in  making  its 
appearance.  At  first  a  dark  streak  will  be  ob- 
served in  about  the  middle  of  the  plate,  and 
soon  all  the  upper  (or  lower)  half  of  the  negative 
will  gradually  darken.  This  is  the  sky,  which, 
being  most  bright  in  nature,  affected  most 
strongly  the  sensitive  plate,  and  is  therefore 
first  to  make  its  appearance.  Soon,  however, 
the  details  of  our  picture,  even  in  the  shadows, 
will  begin  to  appear,  and  we  observe  with  breath- 
less interest  the  beautiful  landscape  grow  into 
being  as  we  observed  it  first   upon   the  ground 


30 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


glass  of  our  camera.  We  must  wait  patiently, 
however,  gently  rocking  the  tray  which  contains 
the  developer  all  the  time,  until  the  image  is 
fully  out,  and  the  milky-white  appearance  of  the 
plate  is  changed  to  a  dark  gray  color.  When 
the  plate  is  fully  developed  we  must  remove  it 
from  the  developing  solution  and  wash  it  in  two 
or  three  changes  of  water.  It  is  now  ready  for 
the  "fixing  bath."  But  before  describing  that 
process,  it  may  be  well  to  consider  for  a  moment 
how  we  should  have  acted  in  case  our  plate  had 
not  been  correctly  "timed"  in  the  exposure. 

If  the  exposure  had  been  too  long,  the  image 
would  have  flashed  up  suddenly  as  soon  as  the 
plate  touched  the  developing  solution,  and  we 
could  not  have  saved  it  from  being  a  weak, 
"  flat "  negative,  as  it  is  termed,  unless  we  were 
ready  with  our  bromide  of  ammonium  solution 
to  add  several  drops  to  the  developer,  and  some 
more  of  the  "A"  solution.  The  bromide  of 
ammonium  is  composed  by  dissolving  the  con- 
tents of  the  ounce  bottle  in  ten  ounces  of  water. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  our  plate  had  not  been 
exposed  long  enough  in  the  camera,  the  picture 
would  have  been  very  slow  in  making  its  appear- 


IN  THE  DARK  ROOM. 


31 


ance,  and  the  finer  details,  especially  in  the 
shadows  and  dark  portions,  would  have  failed 
to  come  forth.  It  would  then  have  been  neces- 
sary to  add  half  a  drachm  or  more  of  the  "  B " 
solution  to  the  developing  bath.  It  must  be 
understood  that  the  "  B "  solution  accelerates  de- 
velopment, while  the  "  A "  solution  retards  it. 
When  the  developed  negative  has  been  rinsed  off 
in  clear  water,  we  place  it  in  the  hyposulphite 
of  soda  solution,  where  it  is  "  fixed." 

The  "fixing"  bath  is  composed  by  simply  dis- 
solving four  ounces  of  the  hyposulphite  of  soda 
in  twenty  ounces  of  water.  Place  the  developed 
negative  in  this  solution  and  allow  it  to  remain 
there  until  the  opaque  yellowness  has  entirely 
disappeared  from  the  back  of  the  plate.  It  will 
require  from  five  to  fifteen  minutes  to  accomplish 
this,  and  it  is  well  to  leave  the  plate  a  little 
while  after  it  becomes  perfectly  clear  rather 
than  remove  it  too  soon,  for  if  the  negative  is 
not  perfectly  "  fixed "  it  will  afterward  gradually 
turn  yellow.  I  must  here  caution  the  amateur 
never  to  use  the  tray  which  contains  the  fixing 
solution  for  any  other  purpose.  You  cannot 
wash  it  so  clean  but  that  a  slight  trace  of  the 


32 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


"hypo,"  as  it  is  called,  will  remain,  and  if  that 
comes  into  contact  with  the  plate  during  any 
previous  process  it  will  surely  spoil  it. 

After  the  negative  has  been  thoroughly 
"  fixed,"  it  only  remains  to  wash  it  very  care- 
fully in  several  changes  of  water,  when  it  is 
ready  for  drying,  and,  later,  for  printing.    In  the 


PLATE-RACK. 


summer  time  it  is  often  well  to  soak  the  nega- 
tive, at  this  point,  for  a  few  minutes,  in  a  solu- 
tion composed  of  alum  and  water.  This  hardens 
the  film  and  prevents  it  from  "frilling"  about 
the  edges  of  the  plate.  The  alum  or  hardening 
bath  is  composed  by  dissolving  two  or  three 
ounces  (the  exact  amount  is  not  material)  in 
r.everal  ounces  of  water. 


IN  THE  DARK  ROOM. 


33 


When  the  plate  has  been  thoroughly  washed 
in  three  or  four  changes  of  water,  or,  better  still, 
in  a  continuous  gentle  stream  of  running  water, 
for,  say,  fifteen  minutes  or  so,  it  should  be  set  up 
to  dry  in  a  secure  place.  While  it  is  drying, 
we  will  take  up  our  second  plate  and  proceed  in 
the  development  of  it  as  in  the  first  case,  and 
so  on  until  all  the  plates  which  we  exposed 
have  been  developed,  fixed,  hardened,  and 
washed. 


34 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PRINTING  AND  TONING. 

We  left  our  developed  plates  in  a  secure 
place,  drying.  As  the  sun  shines  brightly  to-day, 
let  us  take  them  from  the  drying  racks  and  pro- 
ceed to  make  some  prints  from  them. 

For  this  purpose  we  must  employ  the  printing 
frame  which  came  with  our  outfit.  This  is  a 
wooden  frame  which  exactly  takes  the  negative. 
After  the  plate  has  been  placed  in  it,  film  side 
up,  a  sheet  of  printing  paper  is  laid  on  the 
negative,  sensitive  side  down.  The  wooden  back 
is  then  put  in,  and  secured  at  both  ends  by  the 
brass  springs,  as  shown  in  the  cut.  This  back 
is  hinged  in  the  middle,  so  that  it  may  be 
partly  turned  back  and  the  progress  of  the  print- 
ing process  examined  without  moving  the  paper 
on  the  plate.  When  the  plate  and  paper  have 
been  firmly  secured  in  the  printing  frame,  it  is 
exposed  to  the  sunlight,  on  a  window-sill  or  else- 


PRINTING  AND  TONING.  35 

where,  care  being  taken  to  avoid  any  shadows 
falling  upon  its  face  from  shutters  or  other  pro- 
jecting parts.  In  bright  sunlight,  one  minute  is 
usually  long  enough  to  thoroughly  impress  the 


THE  PRINTING  FRAME. 


picture  on  the  sensitive  silver  paper  through  an 
ordinary  glass  negative  ;  but  the  print  must  be  a 
little  darker  than  it  is  desired  to  be  when  fin- 
ished, as  the  toning,  fixing,  and  subsequent 
operations  bleach  it  somewhat.  We  can  easily 
determine  just  when  to  remove  the  print  from 
the  negative  by  taking  the  printing  frame  from 
the  sun,  and,  in  a  subdued  light,  observing  how 


36 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


dark  the  print  has  become.  This  is  done  by  un- 
hinging one  side  of  the  back  and  lifting  that 
part  of  the  print  thus  released  from  pressure. 
When  the  print  is  dark  enough,  remove  it  from 
the  printing  frame  to  a  box  or  drawer,  where  no 
light  can  get  at  it.  Repeat  the  operation  until 
as  many  prints  are  made  from  the  negative  as 
are  desired,  and  then  put  another  negative  in 
the  frame,  removing  the  first  one,  of  course. 
Make  the  required  number  of  prints  from  this 
negative,  and  so  on  until  all  the  prints  are  made 
that  are  wanted.  We  are  now  ready  to  take 
them  from  the  box  where  they  have  been  con- 
cealed from  the  sunlight,  and  proceed  with  the 
toning  and  fixing  processes.  But  before  we  take 
up  these  interesting  operations  it  would  be  well 
to  know  something  more  definite  about  the 
actual  printing  itself. 

The  negative,  as  we  know,  is  made  up  of 
more  or  less  opaque  and  transparent  portions  ; 
clear  glass  on  the  one  hand,  shading  into  abso- 
lute opaqueness  on  the  other.  And  the  whites  of 
the  negative  correspond  to  the  darks  of  the  orig- 
inal picture,  because  the  light,  being  weakest 
from  the  dark  portions  in  the  picture  in  nature. 


PRINTING  AND  TOMNG. 


37 


affected  in  the  least  degree  the  sensitive  film  of 
the  plate,  and  thus  left  it  nearly  or  quite  clear 
glass.  In  like  manner,  the  bright  spots  of  the 
picture  reflected  most  light  through  the  lens  to 
the  sensitive  plate,  and  therefore  darkened  it. 
In  proportion  as  the  parts  in  nature  are  dark  or 
light,  just  so  are  the  images  on  the  photographic 
plate  light  or  dark.  We  can,  therefore,  under- 
stand how  the  print  will  be  exactly  the  opposite 
of  the  negative  again,  and  like  the  original  sub- 
ject in  nature. 

The  light  will  pass  most  freely  through  those 
parts  of  the  negative  which  are  clearest,  and 
thus  will  blacken  the  paper  beneath  to  the  great- 
est degree.  Where  the  negative  is  dense  and 
opaque  very  little  light  can  pass  through,  so  that 
the  paper  retains  its  original  whiteness  under 
those  parts.  Thus  we  obtain  on  the  print  the 
reverse  of  the  negative,  or  a  "  positive/'  as  it  is 
called.  Positives  may  be  made  not  only  on 
paper,  but  also  on  glass,  when  they  are  called 
transparencies,  or  lantern  slides,  and  are  used  for 
hanging  in  windows  or  for  enlargement  through 
a  magic  lantern  or  stereopticon.  Then  we  have 
"  blue  "  prints,   bromide  prints,  platinotypes,  aris- 


3* 


AM  A  TEUfc  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


toiypes,  and  chloride  prints,  according  to  the 
kind  of  paper  which  is  used  for  printing  the 
picture  by  sunlight  through  the  glass  negative. 
Printing  from  a  glass  transparency,  which  is  a 
positive,  of  course  obtains  a  negative;  and  some- 
times negatives  are  made  on  paper  for  certain 
purposes.  As  many  prints  as  are  desired  can  be 
made  from  one  negative,  for  the  operation  is  the 
same  every  time,  and  nothing  is  taken  from  the 
negative  ;  the  light  passing  through  it  makes  the 
picture. 

We  have  learned  in  this  chapter  only  one 
printing  method,  the  simplest  of  all,  but  the  one 
yielding,  perhaps,  the  most  beautiful  pictures.  It 
is  called  " silver  printing''  by  photographers,  be- 
cause the  paper  on  which  the  prints  are  made 
was  sensitized  to  light  by  coating  it  with  a  solu- 
tion of  nitrate  of  silver.  The  amateur  can  make 
his  own  silver  paper  without  much  trouble, 
though  perhaps  it  is  better  at  first  to  buy  the 
paper  already  prepared.  It  comes  in  packages  of 
two  dozen  sheets,  cut  to  the  different  sizes  of 
the  negatives,  and  one  package  came  with  our 
outfit.  Having  learned  how  to  make  prints 
by  this  method,  we  will  go  on  with  the  toning 


PRINTING  AND  TONING. 


39 


and  fixing  processes,  and  finish  the  picture  we 
have  commenced. 

We  left  the  batch  of  untoned  and  unfixed 
prints  in  a  dark  box.  We  must  now  take  them 
from  their  hiding-place,  and  place  them,  one  at 
a  time,  in  a  tray  of  pure  water,  face  down.  The 
tray  which  comes  with  our  printing  outfit  will 
hold  fifteen  or  twenty  prints.  While  they  are 
soaking  there  we  will  prepare  the  toning  bath 
as  follows  : 

Dissolve  in  fifteen  ounces  of  water  fifteen 
grains  of  chloride  of  gold  and  sodium,  and  pour 
three  ounces  of  this  solution  into  another  tray, 
adding  a  few  drops  of  a  bicarbonate  of  soda  so- 
lution. Then  add  a  pint  of  water  to  the  toning 
bath  and  twenty  grains  of  acetate  of  soda. 
After  the  solution  has  stood  for  a  few  moments 
it  is  ready  for  use. 

The  prints  are  transferred  from  the  water  bath 
to  this  solution,  facing  downward  as  before,  and 
are  moved  about  so  that  they  will  not  stick  to- 
gether. In  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  the  reddish 
color  which  the  prints  assumed  in  the  pure 
water  will  begin  gradually  to  change  until  a  rich 
purplish-brown    color    is    obtained.     The  prints 


40 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


must  not  be  removed  until  this  stage  has  been 
reached,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  must  not 
be  allowed  to  remain  so  long  in  the  bath  as  to 
acquire  a  bluish  or  slaty  color. 

After  the  prints  have  acquired  the  desired 
shade,  take  them  from  the  toning  bath  and  rinse 
them  off  in  another  tray  of  pure  water.  Then 
immerse  them  in  the  fixing  bath,  which  is  com- 
posed as  follows: 

Hyposulphite  of  soda   i  pound 

Carbonate  of  soda   i  tablespoonful 

Common  table  salt   i  tablespoonful 

Water   .  .  5  pints 

In  this  fixing  bath  the  silver  compound  which 
forms  the  image  of  the  prints  is  "  reduced "  so 
that  pure  metallic  silver  remains,  which  is  perma- 
nent and  will  not  fade.  It  generally  requires 
about  fifteen  minutes'  soaking  in  the  fixing  bath 
to  thoroughly  accomplish  this  result.  The  prints 
are  then  removed  and  thoroughly  washed  again, 
for  if  the  slightest  trace  of  hypo  is  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  film  it  will  gradually  turn  yellow  on 
exposure  to  light  and  ruin  the  print.  As  in  the 
case  of  the  negative  fixing  bath,  so  here,  the  tray 


PRINTING  AND  TONING. 


41 


holding  the  solution  should  never  be  used  for 
anything  else,  for  the  hyposulphite  of  soda  is  very 
difficult  to  remove,  even  by  the  most  thorough 
washing. 

The  final  washing  is  of  the  utmost  importance, 
as  on  it  depends  to  a  great  extent  the  durability 
of  the  prints.  They  should  soak  in  a  tray  of 
clear  water  for  several  hours,  the  water  being 
changed  a  number  of  times  during  that  period. 
Some  amateurs  allow  their  prints  to  remain  in 
water  over  night  and  remove  them  in  the  morn- 
ing after  a  thorough  rinsing.  In  the  final  wash- 
ing the  prints  should  float  face  downward,  so  that 
the  hypo  will  dissolve  out  of  the  film  more  easily, 
but  in  the  toning  process  they  may  be  turned 
upward  from  time  to  time  in  order  that  the  prog- 
ress of  the  process  may  be  observed. 

After  the  final  washing  the  prints  are  hung  up 
on  a  line  to  dry,  or  laid  between  blotters,  and 
then  they  are  ready  for  "mounting"  upon  card- 
boards or  in  an  album.  This  is  done  by  covering 
their  backs,  while  still  wet,  with  a  thin  layer  of 
flour  or  starch  paste,  and  then  placing  them  upon 
the  cardboard,  paste  side  down,  rubbing  them 
closely  to  the  mount  by  means  of  a  paper  placed 


42 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


on  the  print.  A  gloss  may  be  given  the  mounted 
prints  by  running  them  through  what  is  called  a 
"  burnisher  ;"  but  the  print  must  be  perfectly  dry 
before  this  is  done. 


Portraiture. 


43 


CHAPTER  V. 

PORTRAITURE. 

Portrait-making  by  photography  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  pastimes.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  have  a  regular  studio,  with  sky- 
light, painted  backgrounds,  and  papier-mache 
accessories,  in  order  to  make  good  likenesses  of 
your  friends  with  the  camera.  The  light  from  an 
ordinary  side  window  in  your  home  will  answer 
very  well;  and  for  a  background  a  large  sheet  of 
brown  wrapping-paper  will  serve.  Real  furniture 
looks  better  in  a  photograph  than  the  imitations 
which  are  used  in  the  professional  studio,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  amateur  should  not 
make  as  good  portraits  of  his  friends  as  the 
professional  photographer. 

Select  a  room  with  plain  white  or  painted 
walls  for  your  studio,  if  such  is  to  be  had  in  the 
house  ;  and  it  is  better  if  the  window  is  on  only 
one  side.    If  possible,  have  the  window  face  the 


44 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


north,  for  then  the  illumination  is  the  same 
throughout  the  day,  the  sunlight  at  no  time 
entering  a  window  which  faces  due  north.  If  the 
walls  of  your  improvised  studio  are  papered  with 
brilliantly  colored  figures,  you  must  use  a  back- 
ground in  all  cases.  A  good  one  can  be  made  by 
stretching  some  dark  woolen  material  over  a 
clothes-horse  or  other  suitable  frame.  Or,  as  has 
been  suggested,  plain  brown  wrapping  paper  may 
be  used  if  a  large  enough  sheet  can  be  obtained 
to  cover  at  least  one  side  of  a  clothes-horse  or 
similar  frame.  If  the  clothes-horse  is  divided 
and  hinged  in  the  middle,  as  is  very  often  the 
case,  the  other  panel  may  be  covered  with  a 
white  cloth  or  paper,  and  will  serve  very  well  as 
a  reflector.  If  the  wall  is  plain  white  or  of  a 
gray  color,  there  is  no  absolute  need  of  a  back- 
ground, for  the  wall  will  answer  very  well,  and 
then  one  need  make  but  a  reflector  in  order  to 
be  ready  for  work.  The  reflector  is  of  white 
material,  so  that,  by  being  placed  opposite  the 
window  through  which  the  light  enters  to  illu- 
minate the  subject,  the  darkened  side  of  the  face 
is  lighted  to  a  certain  degree,  and  thus  a  more 
even  illumination  is  given  the  portrait.    If  there 


PORTRAITURE.  45 

are  windows  on  two  sides  of  the  room,  all  but 
those  on  the  one  side  must  be  closed  by  means 
of  shutters  and  curtains,  so  as  to  exclude  any 
light,  for  the  illumination  must  all  be  from  one 
source. 

If  a  background  is  used,  and  the  amateur  is 
fortunate  enough  to  have  the  use  of  a  hinged 
frame  like  an  ordinary  clothes-horse,  he  arranges 
his  apparatus  and  subject  as  shown  in  the  dia- 
gram. 


BACKGROUND 


CAMERA 


In  posing  the  subject,  there  is  room  for  the 
exercise  of  much  taste  and  artistic  skill  ;  and  in 
lighting  opportunity  is  given  for  the  display  of 
the  best  of  judgment.  Seek  to  photograph  your 
friend  in  a  characteristic  attitude.  Sometimes 
this  will  be  standing,  sometimes  sitting ;  while  at 


46 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


others,  reading  a  book  or  a  letter,  or  even  writing 
at  a  table,  makes  a  suitable  pose.  Then  there 
are  characters  in  history  and  fiction  which  one 
can  represent  by  appropriately  dressing  and 
posing  the  figure.  There  is  no  end  to  the  pic- 
tures which  one  can  make  with  the  camera  in  a 
home-made  studio. 

The  first  object,  of  course,  in  photographing 
one's  friends  is  to  obtain  a  characteristic  likeness, 
and  in  this  respect  the  amateur  should  be  able  to 
obtain  a  more  satisfactory  portrait  than  even  the 
most  skilful  professional ;  for  the  amateur  knows 
his  friend — what  pose  and  expression  are  most 
characteristic — while  the  professional  cannot  be 
expected  to  bring  out  the  individuality  of  his  sub- 
ject on  but  a  few  moments*  acquaintance.  Then, 
too,  the  self-conscious  expression  which  a  subject 
is  very  likely  to  assume  when  seated  before  a 
camera  in  the  professional's  studio  is  not  so  often 
seen  in  a  portrait  made  at  home  among  familiar 
surroundings.  Let  the  subject  be  dressed  in 
ordinary  clothes,  and  have  the  hair  arranged  in 
the  usual  way.  The  plainer  the  clothes  the  more 
effective  will  be  the  portrait,  for,  like  fancy  back- 
grounds,   elaborate    costumes    sometimes  attract 


PORTRAITURE. 


47 


more  attention  than  the  face,  which  should  be, 
of  course,  the  most  prominent  part  of  the  por- 
trait. A  plain  sitting  pose,  showing  head  and 
shoulders,  is,  as  a  rule,  most  satisfactory,  espe- 
cially for  beginners.  Such  a  pose  is  easier  to 
light  and  requires  less  skill  in  the  arrangement 
of  details. 

The  camera  which  we  have  used  in  the  field 
will  answer  all  purposes  for  home  portraiture, 
though  a  regular  studio  camera,  with  an  adapt- 
able rolling  stand  made  especially  for  portrait 
work,  is  more  convenient,  of  course.  The  lens 
which  we  have  been  using  will  also  answer  for 
portrait-making,  for  it  is  a  long-focus  one  and 
possesses  what  is  called  a  "  flat  "  field.  If  a 
wide-angle  lens  had  been  used  for  landscape  pur- 
poses, we  should  have  been  obliged  to  procure 
another  one  for  portrait-making.  The  single-view 
lens  which  came  with  our  outfit,  however,  does 
fairly  good  work  in  both  departments  of  photog- 
raphy. 

When  the  subject  is  posed  in  a  natural  posi- 
tion, with  the  best  side  of  his  or  her  face  turned 
toward  the  light,  we  are  ready  to  focus.  This 
done,  the  plate-holder  is  inserted  as  before,  the 


48 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


lens  capped,  and  the  slide  withdrawn.  We  are 
now  ready  for  the  exposure,  and  here  twenty  or 
twenty-five  seconds  will  be  required ;  the  exact 
length  of  exposure  must  be  determined  by  ex 
perience,  as  in  the  case  of  landscape-making.  It 
is  well  to  expose  both  plates  on  the  subject,  giv- 
ing one  a  little  longer  time  than  the  other  and 
slightly  changing  the  pose,  so  that  there  will  be 
two  chances  of  success  and  a  choice  in  the  posi- 
tions of  the  subject. 

A  group  of  two  or  more  figures  is  managed  in 
much  the  same  way,  so  far  as  lighting  and  pos- 
ing are  concerned;  but  if  the  group  should  be- 
come larger  than  this,  it  is  better  to  photograph 
it  out-of-doors,  using  the  plain  side  of  a  house 
for  a  background,  and  photographing  when  that 
side  is  in  shadow.  The  people  composing  a 
group  should  be  arranged  in  the  general  form  of 
a  pyramid.  They  should  not  all  gaze  directly  at 
the  camera,  or,  indeed,  at  any  one  point.  Each 
one  should  be  looking  in  the  most  natural  way, 
and  be  in  a  characteristic  pose,  so  far  as  is  pos- 
sible. Let  there  be  some  prominent  central  idea 
in  the  posing  when  the  group  is  not  too  large, 
and  the  result  will  be  a  picture,  as  well  as  a 


FOR  7  RA I TURE.  49 

number  of  individual  portraits  in  one  photograph. 
In  making  groups,  as  in  photographing  separate 
individuals,  the  taste  of  the  amateur  will  suggest 
and  direct ;  and  he  should  be  sure  that  he  is 
master  of  ceremonies,  for  if  every  member  of  a 
group  should  carry  out  his  or  her  ideas  the  pic- 
ture would  present  a  rather  disconnected  appear- 
ance. You  alone  can  judge  of  the  effect  as  a 
whole,  as  you  alone  see  it  on  the  ground  glass. 

Developing  and  printing  a  portrait  negative 
differs  in  no  essential  way  from  the  same  pro- 
cesses in  connection  with  a  landscape  plate, 
which  we  have  already  learned  how  to  make 
from  beginning  to  end.  But  a  portrait  negative 
is  sometimes  "  retouched 99  after  it  has  been  de- 
veloped and  fixed.  This  should  never  consist  of 
more  than  merely  touching  out  the  imperfections 
in  the  plate  with  an  ordinary  lead-pencil.  Over- 
retouching  is  not  artistic,  and  is  more  objection- 
able than  no  retouching  at  all.  Indeed,  many 
portraits  which  the  amateur  will  make  are  much 
better  if  not  retouched  at  all. 

In  printing,  a  paper  vignette  which  cuts  off  the 
sides  of  the  negative  and  allows  the  portrait  to 
gradually  shade  off  into  whiteness  sometimes  pro- 


50  AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

duces  an  agreeable  effect.  The  face  is  promi- 
nently brought  out  and  the  surroundings  are 
softly  shaded  off  into  the  background.  Portraits 
appear  best  when  mounted  on  neat  white  cards 
without  gilt  edges  or  anything  to  detract  from 
the  likeness  itself. 


INSTANTANEOUS  PHOTOGRAPHY,  5  I 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INSTANTANEOUS  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

In  the  practice  of  instantaneous  photography 
there  is  perhaps  more  genuine  fun  to  be  had 
than  in  any  other  branch  of  amateur  picture- 
taking.  The  same  camera  which  has  been  used 
for  landscape  will  serve  quite  as  well  for  photo- 
graphing instantaneously,  and  the  same  lens  also 
will  answer  quite  as  well  under  the  most  favor- 
able circumstances ;  for  the  modern  dry  plate  is 
so  extremely  sensitive  that  in  a  fair  amount  of 
light  even  a  slow  lens  will  succeed  in  making  an 
instantaneous  photograph. 

If  the  day  is  dark,  however,  or  the  moving 
object  is  passing  very  rapidly  before  the  camera, 
so  that  an  extremely  short  exposure  is  required, 
a  lens  termed  a  rapid  "  rectograph "  or  "  rectili- 
near," consisting  of   a  "double  combination/*  is 


$2 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


required.  These  more  costly  lenses  are  fitted 
with  an  exposing  shutter,  by  which  the  quickest 
exposure  can  be  made  automatically.  They  are 
also  arranged  so  that  longer  exposures  may  be 
given  when  desirable,  as  in  photographing  land- 
scapes or  architectural  subjects;  thus,  a  good 
instantaneous  lens  supplied  with  an  improved  ex- 
posing shutter  will  answer  for  instantaneous  pur- 
poses, portraiture,  landscaping,  and  other  kinds  of 
photographic  work. 

To  fit  a  landscape  or  portrait  lens  for  instanta- 
neous purposes,  we  must  apply  it  with  a  quick 
exposing  shutter.  There  are  many  kinds  in  the 
market  of  various  designs  and  prices,  but  the 
simple  gravity  or  "drop"  shutter  will  answer  all 
purposes  very  well,  at  least  in  the  beginning  of 
instantaneous  work.  This  shutter  costs  but  a 
dollar  and  a  half,  and  may  be  easily  adjusted  to 
the  lens  when  it  is  desired  to  make  instantaneous 
photographs.  When  we  do  not  require  its  aid  it 
may  quickly  be  removed  from  the  lens  and  laid 
aside.  Sometimes  these  "drop"  shutters  are 
made  to  release  by  means  of  a  slight  pressure  of 
air  sent  through  a  rubber  tubing  by  squeezing 
the  bulb  at  its  end.     This  is  a  convenience,  but 


INSTANTANEOUS  PHOTOGRAPHY,  53 

it  is  not  necessary,  for  the  release  can  also  be 
given  by  a  slight  touch  of  the  hand. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  instantaneous  photo- 
graphs can  be  made  by  merely  applying  a  simple 
drop  shutter  to  the  lens  and  camera  which  has 
already  been  purchased.  For  many  purposes, 
however,  a  specially  constructed  hand  camera, 
known  under  various  forms  as  the  "  detective " 
camera,  will  be  found  very  convenient.  In  fact, 
it  is  almost  necessary  to  use  one  of  these  hand 
cameras  if  the  fleeting  scenes  of  street  life  in  a 
large  city,  the  quickly  passing  views  of  a  trot- 
ting horse  on  a  racing  track  or  roadway,  the 
swiftly  moving  pictures  seen  from  a  car  window, 
steamboat,  or  yacht,  or  those  properly  called  de- 
tective pictures,  made  of  people  without  their 
knowledge,  are  to  be  photographed. 

When  a  tripod  camera  is  used,  a  "  finder " 
should  always  be  affixed  to  the  box  on  its  top, 
for  it  is  not  easy  to  quickly  move  a  camera  on 
a  tripod  so  as  to  catch  a  fleeting  object  exactly 
on  the  middle  of  the  plate.  The  finder,  or 
"  view-meter,5'  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  shows 
one  exactly  when  the  moving  subject  is  opposite 
the   middle   of    one's    plate,   so  that  it    is  only 


54 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


necessary  to  release  the  shutter  in  order  to  catch 
the  picture  as  securely  as  if  the  subject  were 
stationary. 

Let  us  now  see  wherein  this  process  differs,  if 
at  all,  from  the  other  branches  of  photographic 
work.  As  has  already  been  said,  unless  our  lens 
is  a  very  quick-working  one,  strong  sunlight  and 
clear  atmosphere  are  necessary  to  make  good  in- 
stantaneous photographs.  The  light  must  fall 
from  behind  the  camera  full  upon  the  object  be- 
fore it,  so  as  to  give  the  strongest  illumination. 
The  lens  must  have  the  largest  opening  possible, 
so  as  to  admit  the  greatest  amount  of  light,  and 
the  dry  plate  must  be  extremely  sensitive.  The 
developer  described  in  Chapter  III  will  be 
found  to  work  as  well  with  instantaneously  ex- 
posed plates  as  with  those  which  have  received 
a  longer  exposure,  and  the  beginner,  at  least,  had 
better  use  the  developer  he  has  become  accus- 
tomed to.  In  developing  instantaneous  negatives 
we  must  proceed  as  if  treating  an  under-exposed 
plate,  using  rather  more  of  the  "  B  "  solution 
than  of  the  "A"  solution.  Sometimes  a  prelim- 
inary immersion  of  the  plate  in  "  B "  solution 
and  water  before   the  "A"    solution    has  been 


IXSTANTANEOUS  PHOTOGRAPHY.  55 

added  is  advantageous.  The  "A"  solution  can 
then  be  added,  and,  as  the  development  pro- 
gresses,  increased  until  a  full  and  proper  density 
has  been  obtained  on  the  negative.  The  fixing 
of  the  negative  differs  in  no  way,  of  course, 
from  the  process  as  applied  to  other  negatives  ; 
and  the  printing,  toning,  and  subsequent  treat- 
ment of  prints  are  also  the  same. 

Instantaneous  photography  is  but  a  few  years 
old.  The  introduction  of  gelatine  dry  plates 
about  ten  years  ago  made  it  possible.  Before 
that  time,  several  seconds  were  considered  a  very 
short  time  for  the  camera  to  make  a  picture  ; 
now  photographs  are  made  in  the  infinitesimal 
fraction  of  a  second.  With  the  quickest-working 
lenses  and  the  most  sensitive  plates,  it  is  not 
even  necessary  that  the  light  be  strong  or  the 
atmosphere  clear.  Good  instantaneous  photo- 
graphs have  been  made  on  dark  days,  and  even 
during  a  gentle  rain.  By  means  of  the  magne- 
sium "flash"  light,  daylight  is  not  even  neces- 
sary, for  its  intense  blue  light  is  sufficient  to 
illuminate  scenes  at  night,  and  in  dark  places 
where  the  sun's  rays  never  penetrate.  But  of 
this  interesting  development  of   modern  photog- 


56 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


raphy  we  must  speak  in  a  separate  chapter. 
Having  learned  how  to  make  instantaneous  pho 
tographs  by  daylight,  we  shall  be  the  better  pre- 
pared to  take  up  this  wonderful  process. 


FLASH-LIGHT  PHOTOGRAPHY, 


57 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FLASH-LIGHT  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

ONE  of  the  most  fascinating  branches  of  ama- 
teur photography  is  that  which  was  made  possi- 
ble by  the  introduction  of  burning  magnesium  as 
a  source  of  photographic  light. 

Magnesium  metal  in  the  form  of  coiled  wire 
or  ribbon  has  been  used  for  several  years  for 
making  photographs  in  dark  places,  such  as 
mines,  caves,  etc.,  but  the  method  was  quite  dif- 
ficult and  required  a  prolonged  exposure  in  the 
camera. 

Electric  light  has  also  been  used  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  rays  of  the  sun,  but  it  required  ex- 
pensive apparatus  and  is  much  less  powerful  in 
its  photographic  action  than  the  intense  blue 
flash  from  the  powdered  magnesium  metal. 

Since  the  introduction  of  magnesium  metal  as 
a  source  of  actinic  or  photographic  light,  two  or 
three  years  ago,  many  improvements  have  been 
made  upon  the  method  of  applying  it,  so  that 


58 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


now  any  amateur  can  make  instantaneous  photo- 
graphs in  this  way  without  any  trouble  whatever. 
The  powdered  magnesium  can  be  purchased  in 
the  form  of  "  cartridges  "  containing  the  proper 
quantity  for  an  exposure.  A  pistol  has  been  de- 
vised for  "shooting"  the  flash  light  on  the  sub- 
ject to  be  photographed,  whether  it  be  a  man 
walking  in  the  street  at  night  or  merely  a  dark 
place  which  the  sun  cannot  illuminate.'  Any 
camera  can  be  used  for  this  purpose,  though  a 
hand  camera  will  be  found  most  convenient. 
Portraits  also  in  one's  home  may  very  readily  be 
made  by  these  means — family  groups,  small 
dinner  and  card  parties,  and  other  social  gather- 
ings— and  a  great  many  subjects  which  were  out 
of  the  question  before  the  magnesium  flash  light 
was  suggested. 

Considerable  care  must  be  given  in  lighting  a 
portrait  by  the  magnesium  flash  in  order  to  pro- 
duce roundness  of  effect  and  avoid  the  strong 
contrasts  and  harsh  appearance  which  we  so 
often  see  in  flash-light  pictures.  One  should  place 
the  magnesium  at  least  five  feet  distant  from  the 
subject.  The  nearer  it  is  to  the  source  of  light^ 
the  sharper  are  the  contrasts,  of  course.    But,  on 


FLASH-LIGHT  PHOTOGRAPHY.  *9 

the  other  hand,  the  further  we  remove  the  light, 
the  weaker  will  be  its  illuminating  power.  It  is 
therefore  better  to  place  the  magnesium  to  be 
ignited  from  five  to  eight  feet  distant  from  the 
subject,  and  soften  its  effect  by  interposing  be- 
tween  it  and  the  sitter  a  screen  of  white  tissue- 
paper.  The  background  must  be  removed  some 
distance  from  the  subject  so  that  the  strong 
shadows  from  the  sitter  will  not  fall  upon  it. 
The  magnesium  should  be  ignited  a  little  above 
the  camera,  and  removed  far  enough  from  the 
apparatus  so  that  no  light  can  enter  the  lens. 
Sometimes  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  a  reflect- 
ing screen  similar  to  the  one  described  in  the 
chapter  on  Portraiture. 

In  lighting  groups  for  photographing  by  means 
of  the  magnesium  flash,  it  is  better  to  place  the 
light  on  the  extreme  right  or  left  of  the  subject 
than  immediately  in  its  front.  When  very  large 
groups  are  photographed,  it  is  sometimes  neces- 
sary to  light  from  both  sides  of  the  group,  the 
light  that  falls  on  one  side  being  made  much 
stronger,  of  course,  than  upon  the  other,  so  as 
to  produce  agreeable  shading.  This  method  of 
lighting  is  also  best  when  a  large  interior  is  de- 


6o 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


sired  to  be  photographed  at  night,  and  for  such 
purposes  some  one  of  the  many  ingenious  mag- 
nesium lamps  which  have  been  placed  upon  the 
market  will  be  found  more  convenient  than  the 
simple  "  cartridges/' 

Of  course  a  rapid  lens  and  a  very  sensitive  plate 
must  be  employed,  and  the  development  will 
be  conducted  as  for  an  ordinary  instantaneous 
picture.  In  focusing  it  will  be  found  convenient 
to  employ  a  burning  candle,  which  may  be  placed 
at  that  part  of  the  room  where  the  greatest  dis- 
tinctness is  desired  in  the  photograph,  or  close 
to  the  sitter's  face,  as  the  case  may  be.  As  soon 
as  sharp  focus  is  obtained,  the  candle  is  of 
course  removed,  the  lens  is  capped,  and  the  slide 
withdrawn  from  the  plate-holder  ready  for  the 
flash.  The  photographer  is  now  in  total  dark- 
ness, the  cap  is  removed  from  the  lens,  and  the 
magnesium  powder,  in  the  form  of  a  cartridge  or 
in  a  lamp  as  the  case  may  be,  is  ignited.  A 
lightning-like  flash  of  the  most  intense  blue  light 
follows  and  endures  for  perhaps  a  thirtieth  of  a 
second.  The  lens  is  then  recapped,  the  slide  re- 
inserted, and  the  exposed  plate  ready  for  the 
development. 


FLA  Slt-LICIIT  PIIO  TOGRA  PH  Y.  6 1 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  employ  a  special 
developer  for  this  kind  of  work,  though  the  one 
recommended  by  Mr.  S.  R.  Stoddard,  who  has 
been  very  successful  in  flash-light  work,  is  so  well 
adapted  for  the  purpose  that  it  is  given  here. 

No.  i. 

Distilled  or  ice  water  10  ounces 

Citric  acid   i  drachm 

Sulphite  of  soda,  crystals   4  ounces 

Pyroga  lol  (Schering's  resublimed). .  1  ounce 

Add  water  to  make  the  solution  up  to  sixteen 
fluid  ounces. 

No.  2. 

Water  —  10  ounces 

Sulphite  of  soda,  crystals   2 

Carbonate  of  soda,  crystals  (or  dry 

granular,  1  ounce)   2 

Potash  carbonate   1 

Dissolve,  and  add  water  to  make  sixteen  fluid 
ounces. 

A  third  solution,  composed  of 

Bromide  of  potassium   \  ounce 

Water   5  ounces 

should  also  be  prepared  for  "  restraining  purposes. 


62 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


The  developing  solution  is  composed  by  mix- 
ing from  \\  to  2\  drachms  of  No.  I  solution 
with  from  2  to  3  ounces  of  the  No.  2  solution. 
More  or  less  of  the  No.  1  or  No.  2  is  added  as 
the  exigencies  of  development  may  require.  If 
the  image  does  not  readily  appear  when  the 
plate  has  been  immersed  in  the  developing  solu- 
tion, a  little  more  of  the  No.  2  solution  should 
be  added. 

If  it  comes  up  too  quickly,  a  few  drops  of  the 
third  solution  should  be  mixed  with  the  devel- 
oper. The  plate  is,  of  course,  fixed  as  usual  in 
a  hyposulphite  of  soda  solution,  after  which 
and  a  thorough  washing  in  running  water,  it  is 
dried,  and  is  then  ready  for  the  printing  frame. 


OR  THOCHROMA  TIC  PHO  TOGRAPH  V. 


63 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ORTHOCHROMATIC  OR  COLOR-SENSITIVE 
PHOTOGRAPHY. 

The  announcement  that  photographing  in  the 
colors  of  nature  has  successfully  been  accom- 
plished has  been  made  periodically  ever  since 
photography  itself  was  discovered.  But  on  in- 
vestigation the  various  so-called  discoveries  have 
been  shown  to  be  in  reality  no  discoveries  at  all, 
but  merely  new  applications  of  old  and  well- 
known  principles. 

Recently,  however,  there  has  been  perfected  in 
Philadelphia  by  an  American,  Frederick  E.  Ives, 
a  process  for  reproducing  the  colors  of  nature, 
by  which  an  entirely  new  principle  is  employed. 
This  principle  was  stated  by  Mr.  Ives  before  a 
meeting  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  Philadelphia 
about  two  years  ago,  but  it  was  only  rendered 
practicable  by  a  more  recent  invention  of  special 


64 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


optical  devices.  The  process  as  now  employed 
by  Mr.  Ives  may  be  briefly  described  as  follows : 
By  means  of  a  very  ingenious  compound 
camera  front,  three  photographic  negatives  of 
the  object  are  made  by  simultaneous  and  equal 
exposure  from  the  same  point  of  view  and  upon 
the  same  sensitive  plate.  The  photographic 
plate  is  sensitive  to  all  colors  of  light,  but  by  in- 
troducing light  filters  one  of  the  negatives  is 
made  by  such  light  rays  only  as  excite  the  fun- 
damental red  sensation,  and  in  due  proportion ; 
another  by  light  rays  as  they  excite  the  funda- 
mental green  sensation,  and  another  by  light  rays 
as  they  excite  the  fundamental  blue-violet  sensa- 
tion. 

From  this  triple  negative  a  triple  lantern  slide 
is  made  which,  although  it  shows  no  color,  con- 
tains such  a  graphic  record  of  the  natural  colors 
that  in  order  to  reproduce  them  to  the  eye  it 
is  sufficient  to  superpose  the  three  images,  one 
with  red  light,  one  with  green,  and  one  with 
blue-violet.  This  is  accomplished  either  in  Mr. 
Ives's  new  heliochromoscope, — a  device  about  the 
size  of  a  hand  stereoscope  and  used  in  much 
the  same  way,- — or  by  projection  with  a  special 


OR  THOCHROMA  TIC  PHO  TOG  RAP  H  Y. 


THE  HELIOCHROMOSCOPE, 


66 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


optical  lantern  having  three  optical  systems,  with 
red,  green,  and  blue  glasses.  The  three  images, 
being  exactly  superposed,  appear  as  one  only,  in 
which  the  natural  colors  are  exactly  reproduced 
together  with  the  light  and  shade.  Images  of 
three  ordinary  photographs  exactly  alike,  if  super- 
posed in  the  same  way,  through  the  same  col- 
ored glasses,  would  show  no  color  whatever. 

The  process  is  as  scientifically  accurate  for  re- 
production in  color  as  ordinary  photography  is 
for  reproductions  in  monochrome,  but  at  present 
can  be  carried  out  successfully  only  by  a  scien- 
tific expert  employing  the  photo-spectograph  for 
testing  the  sensitive  plates  and  adjusting  the 
selective  color  screens.  When  such  preliminary 
adjustments  have  been  correctly  made,  the  pro- 
cess is  almost  as  simple  and  reliable  as  the  ordi- 
nary negative  process. 

By  a  modification  of  the  process  introducing 
further  complication,  color  prints  are  made  on 
glass  or  paper;  but  the  comparative  simplicity 
of  the  plan  of  superposing  images  commends  it 
to  scientists,  and  is  more  convincing  to  the  gen- 
eral public. 

Mr.   Ives   calls   his   process   Composite  Helio- 


OR  T1I0CIIR0MA  TIC  Pl/O  TOGRAPHY.  67 


chromy,  and  says  that  it  grew  out  of  a  sug- 
gestion made  by  Henry  Colin,  Queen  Victoria's 
painting-master,  in  1865.  The  process  must 
necessarily  remain  a  comparatively  costly  one 
when  carried  out  in  a  manner  to  yield  the  best 
results,  and  is  best  adapted  to  the  illustration  of 
lectures  by  means  of  the  optical  lantern. 

For  the  amateur,  the  most  practical  method 
of  producing  color  effects  is  by  the  process 
known  as  ortho-  (or  iso-)  chromatic.  The  colors 
themselves  are  not  photographed,  but  the  color 
values  are  given  in  true  relation,  so  that  the 
natural  harmony  of  the  original  subject  is  pre- 
served in  the  photograph.  Yellow,  green,  and 
red  are  photographed  so  that  they  can  easily  be 
distinguished  from  each  other  in  the  finished 
picture,  whereas  on  an  ordinary  plate  no  differ- 
ence whatever  is  shown  between  these  colors  in 
the  photograph,  since  they  are  non-actinic  or 
photographically  inactive  colors  and  impress  the 
plate  in  an  equally  slight  degree.  Blue,  violet, 
and  indigo,  at  the  other  end  of  the  spectrum, 
can  also  be  photographed  in  like  manner,  so  that 
a  difference  is  shown  in  their  values,  instead  of 


68 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


appearing  perfectly  white  in  the  photograph,  as 
is  the  case  when  an  ordinary  plate  is  used. 

No  matter  how  brilliant  the  yellow  object  may 
be,  on  an  ordinary  plate  it  is  always  photo- 
graphed a  dull  black,  while  every  dark,  dull  blue 
appears  clear  white,  simply  because  they  are  very 
powerful  in  actinic  rays,,  and  thus  more  actively 
influence  the  sensitive  photographic  film.  But  by 
means  of  the  orthochromatic  plate,  which  may  be 
purchased  ready  prepared,  these  results  untrue  to 
nature  may  be  avoided,  though  the  colors  them- 
selves cannot  be  photographed. 

There  is  a  simple  method  by  which  one  can 
make  one's  own  orthochromatic  plates  from  any 
good  dry  plate  which  one  may  have  on  hand.  It 
is  done  by  means  of  the  orthochromatic  solution, 
which  may  be  obtained  ready  prepared  or  made 
in  the  following  manner : 

The  plate  is  first  immersed  in 

THE    PRELIMINARY  BATH  

Aqua  ammonia  i  drachm 

Water. . . «  7  ounces 

— where  it  is  allowed  to    remain  for  about  three 


0RT110CHR0MAT1C  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


69 


minutes.  After  removal,  and  without  washing,  a 
bath,  composed  of 

Erythrosine  solution  (1  :  500)   1  \  drachms 

Aqua  ammonia  2 

Water  (distilled)  5 1  ounces 

is  allowed  to  flow  over  the  plate  by  holding  the 
latter  in  a  horizontal  position  for  about  one  min- 
ute. The  plate  is  then  allowed  to  dry  in  a  dark 
closet,  after  which  it  is  ready  for  use. 

The  development  of  erythrosine  plates  does 
not  differ  from  that  of  ordinary  negatives,  ex- 
cept that,  as  they  are  extremely  sensitive  to  color, 
the  process  must  be  carried  on  in  total  darkness 
or  in  the  shadow  of  a  much  subdued  ruby  light. 

When  the  painting  or  subject  is  one  in  which 
the  colors  blue  and  violet  predominate,  it  is 
necessary  to  interpose  a  yellow  color  screen — 
which  also  may  be  purchased  ready-made — be- 
tween the  plate  and  the  subject.  It  may  be  fast- 
ened inside  the  camera  to  the  front-board  which 
bears  the  lens.  When  the  color  screen  is  used 
the  duration  of  exposure  is  increased  from  three 
to  six  times  that  of  an  ordinary  plate. 


70 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY 


CHAPTER  IX. 

COMPOSITE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Francis  Galton  in  1877  explained  to  a  sub- 
section of  the  British  Association  a  method  by 
which  he  had  obtained  an  average  type  of  a 
group  of  people  by  blending  in  a  certain  manner 
the  photographic  portraits  of  the  individuals. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  composite  photog- 
raphy. The  original  method  of  Galton  was  soon 
greatly  modified  and  improved,  and  composite 
photography  became  very  popular.  As  the  pro- 
cess was  simplified,  composite  photographs  were 
made  in  great  numbers  and  of  various  subjects. 
It  was  a  common  thing  for  the  graduating  class 
in  the  higher  schools  and  colleges  to  have  a 
composite  made  from  their  portraits  before  sepa- 
rating for  their  homes.  Thus  each  member  of 
the  class  would  have  a  picture  of  all  the  other 
members  in  one  portrait,  or,  more  truly,  perhaps, 


COMPOSITE  PHOTOGRAPHY,  7 1 

a  characteristic  portrait  of  the  entire  class.  The 
average  facial  type  of  certain  professions  and 
occupations  was  obtained  by  means  of  composite 
photography,  and  very  interesting  were  the  at- 
tempts made  to  show  the  typical  American 
lawyer,  clergyman,  doctor,  legislator,  or  actor. 
Some  of  the  results  obtained  were  very  curious, 
as,  for  instance,  the  composite  of  a  class  of  girls 
blended  with  a  similar  photograph  of  a  group  of 
young  men  in  order  to  show  the  prevailing  char- 
acteristic of  the  young  American  student. 

A  rather  comical  story  is  told  of  one  young 
man  who  was  shown  a  photograph  of  a  young 
lady  which  seemed  to  impress  him  very  much. 
The  expression  of  the  countenance  in  the  por- 
trait denoted  a  strong  will,  yet  a  gentle  disposi- 
tion. It  was  the  face  of  a  young  lady  whom 
one  would  like  to  know. 

"Who. is  the  original  of  this  portrait  ?"  the 
young  man  inquired. 

"  The  graduating  class  of  Smith  College,  North- 
ampton, "  was  the  reply. 

It  was  a  composite  photograph,  and  the  admir- 
ing young  man  awoke  regretfully  to  the  fact  that 
there  was  in  reality   no  such   lady  as   the  one 


72  AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

whose  face  had  so  strongly  impressed  him,— or, 
rather,  that  there  were  forty-nine  of  her  ! 

Another  instance  is  told  of  a  young  lady  who, 
on  seeing  a  composite  photograph  of  a  small 
circle  of  friends  of  which  she  was  a  member, 
exclaimed :  "  It  is  so  charming  to  enjoy  the  por- 
trait of  somebody  who  is  all  ones  intimate 
friends  at  once !" 

An  interesting  composite  photograph  may  be 
made  by  blending  the  various  portraits  of  one's 
self  made  at  different  periods.  Thus  a  slightly 
idealized  likeness  is  obtained,  for  the  inevitable 
conscious  expression  is  done  away  with  in  blend- 
ing the  various  portraits. 

There  is  no  end  of  subjects  to  which  compos- 
ite photography  may  be  applied,  and  the  results 
may  often  be  of  great  value  to  science.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  the  process  might  be  used 
with  advantage  in  obtaining  the  types  of  animal 
species  and  standards  of  different  breeds  ;  also 
that  a  composite  photograph  would  be  more 
valuable  than  the  most  expert  testimony  in  de- 
ciding the  genuineness  of  a  suspected  signature, 
for  the  doubtful  autograph  could  be  compared 
with  a  composite  of  several  which  were  known  to 


COMPOSITE  PHO  TOG  PA  PH  V. 


73 


be  genuine,  and  the  difference,  if  any,  would  then 
be  apparent. 

Composites  of  small  groups  are  not  so  valuable 
as  an  average  type,  of  course,  as  those  which  are 
made  of  larger  numbers.  Composite  photography 
is  of  the  most  value  in  securing  an  average  type 
and  generalization  of  the  prevailing  race  or  class 
characteristics. 

When  the  prominent  features  in  a  group  of 
people  are  entirely  unlike,  the  composite  photo- 
graph of  that  group  will  result  in  a  blurred  mass 
without  many  well-defined  lines.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  were  possible  for  all  the  faces  of  a 
group  to  be  exactly  the  same  in  the  striking 
features,  the  result  would  be  a  clear  and  well- 
defined  portrait,  as  if  made  of  one  person.  It  is 
therefore  apparent  that  in  proportion  as  the  char- 
acteristic features  of  a  group  are  similar  or  un- 
like, the  resulting  composite  photograph  will  be 
clearly  defined  or  blurred.  That  member  of  the 
group  who  bears  the  greatest  resemblance  to  the 
composite  portrait  comes  nearest,  of  course,  to 
having  the  average  typical  face  ;  while  the  one 
who  is  entirely  unlike  the  blended  mass  of  por- 


74 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


traiture  has  features  which  are  distinctly  differ- 
ent from  all  of  the  others  in  the  combination. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  make  composite  photo- 
graphs. There  are  several  methods  by  which  the 
work  can  be  done.  That  first  explained  by 
Francis  Galton  consisted  in  hanging  a  number  of 
portraits  one  in  front  of  the  other  "  in  such  a 
way  that  the  eyes  of  all  the  portraits  shall  be 
nearly  as  possible  superimposed. "  He  first 
focused  his  camera  upon  the  top  portrait,  and 
made  a  photograph  of  it ;  then,  by  successively 
removing  the  portraits  from  the  pin  which 
secured  them,  the  likenesses  of  all  were  imposed 
in  turn  upon  the  same  part  of  the  sensitive  plate, 
and  a  composite  photograph  of  the  entire  group 
was  secured. 

This  method  required  accurate  apparatus,  which 
was  rather  expensive  and  therefore  could  not  be 
used  by  most  amateurs.  Mr.  Rockwood,  who 
has  successfully  made  many  composite  photo- 
graphs, especially  of  graduating  classes,  describes 
his  method  of  work  as  follows.  He  is  speaking 
of  a  composite  of  nine  young  ladies,  members  of 
a  literary  club  in  New  York. 

"I  reduced  the  power  of  light/'  he  says,  "so 


COMPOSITE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


n 


as  to  make  necessary  an  exposure  of  eighteen 
seconds. 

"  I  first  drew  upon  the  ground  glass  a  fine  per- 
pendicular pencil  line,  which  served  as  a  central 
line  to  the  head.  Across  and  at  right  angles  to 
this  line  I  drew  two  others,  an  inch  and  a  quar- 
ter apart,  one  of  which  ran  through  the  line  of 
the  mouth  and  the  other  through  the  eye  at  the 
caruncula,  or  at  the  joining  of  the  upper  and 
lower  cartilages.  These  lines  were  arbitrary,  and 
the  image  was  adjusted  to  them. 

"  Of  course  there  is  quite  a  variation  in  the 
distances  between  these  two  lines  in  the  human 
head ;  therefore  the  cajnera  had  to  be  carefully 
adjusted  after  each  exposure.  As  it  was  very 
difficult  to  do  this  by  hand,  I  constructed  adjust- 
able boards  hinged  at  one  side  with  fine  screws 
so  placed  under  the  camera  as  to  elevate  or  de- 
press it,  and  another  screw  to  move  the  whole 
camera  and  bed-plate  forward  or  backward,  until 
these  distances  between  the  eyes  and  mouth 
were  made  to  correspond  with  the  standard.  I 
then  made  a  pendulum  by  a  weight  on  the  end 
of  a  string  about  forty  inches  long,  practically 
giving   one   second   to   a   motion    of  oscillation. 


76 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


This  I  found  to  be  more  practicable  than  a 
watch. 

"Starting  my  pendulum,  the  impressions  were 
made  in  quick  succession.  Of  course  the  slide 
was  returned  to  the  holder  after  each  exposure, 
and  a  new  focus  of  adjustment  of  the  succeeding 
sitter  made.  The  only  modification  to  the  final 
picture  consisted  in  uniting  the  white  collars  or 
neckwear  into  one.  I  think  it  would  be  best  in 
future  experiments  to  have  a  dark  or  black  silk 
kerchief  with  which  to  cover  the  white  neck- 
draping,  which  would  give  a  simple,  uniform 
effect  to  the  upper  part  of  the  body." 

Another  simple  yet  accurate  way  of  making  a 
composite  is  to  superimpose  one  portrait  upon 
another  until  all  the  pictures  of  a  group  are 
printed  upon  one  piece  of  paper  from  the  vari- 
ous negatives.  This  print  is  then  finished  in  the 
ordinary  way,  and  shows  the  average  of  all  facial 
developments  and  physical  peculiarities  of  the 
members  composing  the  group. 

In  printing  from  various  negatives  on  one 
piece  of  paper  it  has  been  suggested  to  place 
the  negatives  all  together,  one  on  top  of  an- 
other, accurately  superimposed  in  one  large  spe- 


COMPOSITE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


11 


cially  made  printing  frame  deep  enough  to  hold 
all,  and  then  print  through  all  the  negatives  at 
one  time  on  one  sheet  of  paper  beneath. 

The  actual  photographing  in  any  case  is,  of 
course,  accomplished  in  the  usual  way,  and  the 
development  and  printing  is  the  same  as  in  other 
branches  of  photographic  work.  But  the  great- 
est accuracy  must  be  maintained  in  posing  the 
subjects  so  that  the  prominent  features  of  all 
will  fall  exactly  upon  the  same  place  in  the 
plate,  and  in  giving  precisely  the  same  length  of 
exposure  to  all  the  subjects.  The  sum  of  the 
various  individual  exposures  must  equal  the 
length  required  to  make  one  good  negative 
under  the  same  circumstances. 


78 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY, 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  "  FATHERS  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY." 

Photography  is  a  child  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. This,  the  steam-engine,  and  the  electric 
telegraph  form  the  three  great  discoveries  which 
have  made  this  century  momentous.  Its  actual 
beginnings,  to  be  sure,  date  earlier  than  the  nine- 
teenth century,  but  with  the  announcement  of 
Daguerre's  discovery,  August  ioth,  1839,  the  real 
history  of  photography  may  be  said  to  com- 
mence. 

That  announcement  was  received  with  the  wild- 
est enthusiasm  by  every  one.  People  flocked  to 
Paris  in  great  numbers  to  see  the  beautiful  sun 
pictures  which  Daguerre  had  made,  and  also  to 
learn  how  to  make  them.  The  French  govern- 
ment awarded  Daguerre  an  annual  life  pension  of 
six  thousand  francs   (about  twelve  hundred  dol- 


THE  "FATHERS  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY:'  79 

lars)  for  his  invention,  and  then  generously  gave 
the  secret  to  the  world. 

The  new  process  was  called  Daguerreotypy, 
after  its  inventor,  and  the  business  of  making 
daguerreotypes  soon  became  a  flourishing  one, 
not  only  in  France  and  on  the  Continent,  but 
also  in  England,  and  especially  in  this  country. 
Many  improvements  were  soon  made  upon  the 
daguerreotype  ;  in  England  by  such  men  as  Fox- 
Talbot,  Scott-Archer,  and  Dr.  Maddox ;  and  in 
our  own  country  by  Professors  Draper  and 
Morse,  and  a  German,  living  in  Philadelphia, 
named  Langenheim. 

The  daguerreotype  was  not  at  all  like  our  mod- 
ern photograph.  It  was  an  image  photographed 
upon  a  copper  plate,  which  could  only  be  seen 
distinctly  by  looking  at  it  in  a  certain  direction, 
and  which  required,  at  first,  fully  thirty  minutes' 
"  exposure  "  in  the  camera.  Think  of  sitting  per- 
fectly still  before  the  camera  for  half  an  hour  in 
order  to  have  your  photograph  taken !  And 
then  you  could  have  only  one  picture,  and  not, 
as  now,  a  glass  plate  from  which  as  many  pict- 
ures may  be  printed  as  you  desire.  For  every 
picture  you  wanted  in  those  days  you  had  to  sit 


8o 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


the  full  time,  though  the  process  was  quickened 
soon  after  its  introduction  into  general  use. 


A  photograph  can  be  made  in  these  days  in 
the  hundredth,  and  even  the  thousandth,  part  of 


THE  "FATHERS  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY:'         8 1 


a  second ;  and  any  number  of  pictures  can  be 
printed  from  one  glass  plate  or  "  negative."  The 
beautiful  colors  of  nature  may  be  photographed  ; 
not  in  the  actual  color-shades,  it  is  true,  but 
naturally  and  harmoniously,  so  that  there  is  a  dif- 
ference in  the  shades  as  seen  in  the  photograph. 
We  can  even  make  pictures  at  night  by  means 
of  artificial  light ;  and  instantaneously,  too,  as  we 
have  seen  in  the  foregoing  chapters. 

All  these  wonderful  things  have  been  accom- 
plished very  recently,  most  of  them  within  the 
last  ten  years,  though  they  were  foretold,  and 
made  possible  by  experiments,  much  earlier  in 
the  history  of  photography.  But  we  are  pro- 
gressing too  fast,  and,  before  we  speak  further  of 
the  modern  almost  perfect  photograph,  should  go 
back  to  the  earlier  days,  and  recall  some  of  the 
inventions  and  discoveries  which  led  up  to  it — 
even  before  the  time  of  Daguerre. 

Joseph  Nicephore  Niepce,  another  Frenchman, 
was  the  first  man  to  obtain  a  really  permanent 
photograph,  though  his  picture  was  not  so  perfect 
as  that  produced  by  Daguerre.  Without  the  as- 
sistance which  Niepce  rendered  Daguerre,  how- 
ever, that  successful  inventor  could  never  have 


82 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


perfected  his  process.  We  therefore  owe  half  our 
gratitude,  at  least,  for  the  discovery  of  photogra- 
phy to  this  other  Frenchman,  who  is  so  rarely 
spoken  of  and  so  seldom  praised.  The  early  ex- 
periments of  Niepce  were  also  the  foundation  of 
lithography  and  the  kindred  arts  now  so  largely 
used  in  illustrating  books  and  papers.  Niepce  in- 
vented a  velocipede  as  well,  which  is  the  ancestor 
of  our  modern  bicycle.  In  1829  he  made  an 
agreement  with  Daguerre  to  continue  their  ex- 
periments together,  and  this  partnership  was 
maintained  after  his  death  by  his  son,  Isidore 
Niepce,  who  inherited  much  of  his  father's  genius, 
and  received  for  the  joint  invention,  from  the 
French  government,  four  thousand  francs  (or 
about  eight  hundred  dollars)  when  Daguerre  was 
awarded  his  pension  of  six  thousand  francs. 

The  camera  was  invented  by  an  Italian  named 
Baptista  Porta,  much  earlier  than  this,  though  it 
was  not  used  for  photographing.  It  was  in 
reality  merely  a  dark  room  into  which  the  light  was 
admitted  through  a  little  round  hole  in  one  side. 
The  rays  of  light  coming  from  objects  outside  of 
this  room  entered  it  through  this  aperture  and 
made  a  picture  on  the  other  side  of  the  room, 


THE  "FATHERS  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY:'  83 


glowing  in  all  the  beauty  and  color  of  nature 
itself,  but  rather  indistinct,  and  upside  down. 

This  dark  room  was  contrived  by  Porta  about 
the   middle   of   the   sixteenth   century.    He  im- 


JOSEPH  NIEPCE. 


proved  it,  later,  by  placing  a  glass  lens  in  the 
aperture,  and  outside  a  mirror  which  received  the 
rays  of  light  and  reflected  them  through  the  lens, 
so  that  the  image  upon  the  opposite  wall  within 


84 


AMATEUR  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


was  made  much  brighter,  more  distinct,  and  in  a 
natural  or  erect  position.  This  was  really  the 
first  camera-obscura,  an  invention  which  is  en- 
joyed to  the  present  day,  being  situated  often 
upon  a  hilltop  where  a  picturesque  country  sur- 
rounding may  be  reflected  through  a  lens  which 
is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  conical  roof. 

Now,  our  modern  photographic  camera  is 
merely  a  small  camera-obscura  in  its  simplest 
form,  carrying  a  lens  at  one  end,  and  a  ground- 
glass  screen  at  the  other.  It  is,  however,  often 
much  more  complicated  in  its  construction,  as  we 
have  learned  in  the  preceding  chapters, 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


ENGLISH  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 


APOTHECARIES'  WEIGHT. 

SOLID  MEASURE. 

20  Grains     =  i  Scruple  =     20  Grains. 

3  Scruples  =  1  Dram     =     60  Grains. 

8  Drams    =  1  Ounce    =   480  Grains. 
12  Ounces    =  1  Pound  =  5760  Grains. 

FLUID. 

60  Minims  =  1  Fluid  Dram. 

8  Drams   =  1  Ounce. 
20  Ounces  =  1  Pint. 

8  Pints     —  1  Gallon. 

The  above  weights  are  those  usually  adopted  in  formulae. 

All  Chemicals  are  usually  sold  by 

AVOIRDUPOIS  WEIGHT. 
27^  Grains  =  1  Dram  =     27^  Grains. 
16     Drams  =  1  Ounce  =   437?  Grains. 
16     Ounces  =  1  Pound  =  7000  Grains. 

Precious  Metals  are  usually  sold  by 

TROY  WEIGHT. 
24  Grains  =  1  Pennyweight  =     24  Grains. 

20  Pennyweights  =  1  Ounce  =   480  Grains. 

12  Ounces  =  1  Pound  =  5760  Grains. 

Note. — An  ounce  of  metallic  silver  contains  480  grains,  but 
ounce  of  nitrate  of  silver  contains  437?  grains. 


88 


APPENDIX. 


METRIC  SYSTEM  OF  VOLUMES  AND  WEIGHTS. 

MEASURES  OF  VOLUME. 


Denominations  and  Values. 


Names. 

No.  of 
Liters. 

Kiloliter  or 

stere  .... 

IOOO 

Hectoliter.. 

IOO 

Dekaliter.. . 

IO 

Liter  

I 

Deciliter.  . 

p 

Centiliter . . 

100 

Milliliter. . . 

1(50  0" 

Cubic  Measures. 


i  cubic  meter 
cubic  meter 

io  cubic  decimeters 
t  cubic  decimeter 
i1^  cubic  decimeter 
io  cubic  centimeters 
i  cubic  centimeter 


Equivalents  in  Use. 


Dry  Measure. 


308  cubic  yds. 
bushl's  and 
3.35  pecks 
9.08  quarts 

jo8  quart 
6. 1023  cu.  inches 
6102  cubic  inch 
061  cubic  inch 


Wine 
Measure. 


264.17  gals. 

26.417  gals. 
2.6417  gals. 
1.0567  qts. 
.845  gill 
.338    A.  oz 
.27  fl.  drm. 


WEIGHTS. 


Denominations  and  Values. 


Names. 

No.  of 
Grams. 

Weight  of  Volume  of 
Water  at  its  Maximum 
Density. 

Millier  or  Tonneau. . 

1,000,000 

t  cubic  meter 

100,000 

1  hectoliter 

Mynagram.      .  .. 

10,000 

10  liters 

Kilogram  or  Kilo  . . 

1,000 

1  liter 

Hectogram   

100 

1  deciliter 

Dekagram   

10 

10  cubic  centimeters 

1 

1  cubic  centimeter 

Decigram    

1 

To" 

yo-  cubic  cent  meter 

TOo 

10  cubic  millimeters 

Too"U 

1  cubic  millimeter 

Equivalents  in 
Use. 


Avoirdupois 
Weight. 


2204.6  pounds 
220.46  pounds 
22.046  pounds 
2.2046  pounds 
3.5274  ounces 

.3527  ounce 
15.432  grains 
1.5432  grains 
•1543  grain 
.0154  grain 


The  unit  of  capacity  is  the  cubic  decimeter  or  Liter,  and  the  series  of 
measures  is  formed  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  case  of  the  table  of  lengths. 
The  cubic  meter  is  the  unit  of  measure  for  solid  bodies,  and  is  termed 
Stere.  The  unit  0/  weight  is  the  Gram,  which  is  the  weight  of  one 
cubic  centimeter  of  pure  water  weighed  in  a  vacuum  at  the  temperature  of  4 
degrees  Centigrade  or  39.2  degrees  Fahrenheit,  which  is  about  its  tempera- 
ture of  maximum  density.  In  practice,  the  term  cubic  centimeter,  abbrevi- 
ated c.c,  is  generally  used  instead  of  milliliter,  and  cubic  meter  instead  of 
kiloliter. 


APPENDIX. 


89 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  METRIC  INTO  AMERICAN 
MEASURE. 

By  Np:lson  B.  Sizer,  B.Sc,  M.D. 
[From  The  Photographic  Times,  August  14,  1891.] 

The  following  table  is  computed  true  to  the  nearest  half  grain 
or  minim,  as  the  case  may  be,  so  it  will  prove  a  sufficiently  near 
approximation  to  the  required  metric  equivalents. 

U.  S.  P.  Standard. 


Gram, 
or  c.cm. 

Grains. 

Minims. 

Gram, 
or  c.cm. 

Grains. 

Minims. 

1 

15* 

15 

23Tx 

244 

2 

31 

32£ 

16 

247 

260 

3 

46 

49 

17 

262 

276 

4 

62 

65 

18 

278 

292* 

5 

77 

81 

97i 

19 

293 

3°9 

6 

93 

20 

308^ 

325 

7 

108 

114 

30 

463 

487^ 

8 

123* 

130 

40 

617 

650 

9 

139 

T46 

50 

77'i 

813 

10 

154 

162* 

60 

926 

9757 

11 

170 

179 

70 

1,080 

1,138 

12 

185 

194 

80 

1,234$ 

1, 300  \ 

x3 

201 

211 

90 

1,389 

1 1463 

14 

216 

227^ 

100 

i,543 

1,625* 

1,003 

I5-4323 

16,256^ 

1  kilo 

liter 

The  "kilo11  or  kilogram,the 
1000-gram  weight,  is  equal  to 
32  ounces  72^  grains  44  Troy 
or  Apothecaries1  "  weight,  or 
2  pounds  3 ounces  119/3 grains 
Avoirdupois. 

The  44  liter  "  or  1000  cubic 
centimeters,  or  bulk  of  water 
that  weighs  1  kilo,  is  equal  to 
2  pints  1  fluid  ounce  and  4T5I3(y 
minims,  U.  S.  P.  Standard,  or 
our  glass  graduates  as  com- 
monly sold  by  reliab'e  houses. 


The  grains  and  minims  are  easily  reduced  to  fluid  drams  and 
fluid  ounces,  or  drams  and  ounces  Troy,  by  my  readers,  if  they  will 
only  remember  that  60  grains  or  minims  go  to  the  solid  or  fluid 
dram,  and  480  grains  or  minims,  or  8  drams  solid  or  fluid,  go  to 
each  U.  S.  P.  ounce,  solid  or  fluid. 

Thus  the  table  gives  the  value  of  go  grams  as  1389  grains,  of 
go  cubic  centimeters  as  1463  minims.  How  many  ounces  in 
each? 

Dividing  I38g  by  60  for  drams,  we  have  23  drams  g  grains.  As 
8  drams  go  to  the  ounce,  there  are  2  ounces  in  the  23  drams  and 
7  drams  over,  so  we  have — in  1389  grains  there  are  2  ounces  7 
drams  g  grains.  In  the  same  way  we  find  3  fluid  ounces  and  23 
minims  over  to  be  the  value  of  go  cubic  centimeters  or  1463 
minims. 


9o 


APPENDIX. 


Portraits 
in 

Ordinary- 
Room. 

0 

c/3        Tt"         CO           O           MTtcOvO  Nt+ 
co                            -h  co 

GOO         O        O        m        m        -t  00 
S 

Portraits 
in  Good 
Studio 
Light. 

min.  sec. 
O  I 

O  2 

o  4 
o  8 
o  16 
o  32 

2  8 
4  16 

Portraits 
in  bright 
diffused 
Light  out 

of  doors. 

th|?d         Hec           frfeQ         Hco         e$0         r+?  eleo 

%                                                                       m         m  rr 

Badly 
Lighted 
Interiors, 
up  to 

.5                     -f           COO           W           *t         CO          O  M 

g                                   hh        co                          -1  co 

200           O          O          O          m          <N          rt  CO 
Xi 

Fairly 
Lighted 
Interiors. 

min.  sec. 

O  20 

0  40 

1  20 

2  40 
5  20 

10  40 
21  20 
42  40 

Under 
Trees, 
up  to 

800  ooooooo 

COO  0»~iMir>0'-w 

Landscape 
with  Heavy 
Foliage  in 
Fore- 
ground. 

H°o  H« 

O                                                    i-(            d            Tf          CO           O  M 
1)                                                                                                            1-1  CO 

Open 
Land- 
scape, 

J            lo                                 |ot           H»           l-fcC                            r+C  r-fcC 

w     n«s      'tw                                             m        «  *n 

13  S  S  0 

8.8 


d  O. 

2  2 

to  bfi 


0 

S  ^ 

in 

O 

S^JCO 

u 

O 

oT 

No. 

No. 

No. 

co 


s 


u 

u 

u 

0 

0 

0 

0 

ci 

CO 

co 

6 

6 

6 

6 

o 


d 

m 

CM 

0* 


For  Professional  and  Amateur 
Photographers. 


Aristotype  Paper  gives  finest  results  and  is 

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Hardener  used  in  the  fixing  bath  or  in  combined 

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Combined  Bath,  for  toning  and  fixing  in 

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Ever  since  the  Plates  have  been  on  the  market  they  have  held 
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There  is  nothing  that  will  help  you  to  acquire  success  sooner 
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Carbutt's  Dry  Plates  and  Flexible  Films  are  to  be  obtained 
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C.  P.  Sulphate  Iron.     Commercial  and  C.  P.  Acids.  Photo- 
graphic Chemicals.    Refiners  of  Photo.  Waste,  etc. 


Crayon 
Portraiture. 

COMPLETE  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  MAKING  CRAYON 
PORTRAITS  ON  CRAYON  PAPER  AND  ON  PLATI- 
NUM, SILVER  AND  BROMIDE  ENLARGEMENTS. 

Also  Directions  for  the  Use  of 

Transparent  Liquid  Water  Colors 

AND  FOK  MAKING 

FRENCH  CRYSTALS. 

By  J.  A.  BARHYDT. 
limo,  cloth,  illustrated,  revised  and  enlarged  edition. 

Paper,  50  cents.    Cloth,  $1.00. 

A  carefully  prepared  hand-book  for  professional  and  amateur 
artists,  written  with  special  reference  to  giving  such  full  explana- 
tion of  details  as  to  furnish  to  those  who  desire  to  take  up  crayon 
work  a  full  knowledge  of  all  the  materials  required  and  their  use 
and  manipulation,  together  with  all  the  methods  and  processes 
employed.  The  coloring  of  photographs,  engravings  and  photo- 
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The  author's  successfully  accomplished  intention  was  to  furnish 
a  manual  that  would  enable  the  student,  without  other  instruction, 
to  learn  with  exactness  all  he  required  to  know,  in  addition  to 
some  general  knowledge  of  drawing,  to  enable  him  to  undertake 
the  making  of  crayon  portraits  for  a  livelihood  or  to  gratify 
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Sent,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  the  price,  by 

The  Baker  &  Taylor  Co., 

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*  Photography. 

By  W.  I.  LINCOLN  ADAMS,    Editor  Photographic  Times,  etc. 
Illustrated.   Paper,  50c.   Cloth,  $1.00. 


TREATISE  for  the  Amateur  by  one  whose  experience  of 
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using  the  camera  in  and  out  of  doors  especially  fit  him  to  prepare 
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of  Contents  is  as  follows  : 

CONTENTS. 

Chapter  I. — Apparatus. 

Il.-ln  the  Field. 

III.  — In  the  Dark  Room. 

IV.  — Printing  and  Toning. 
V.— Portraiture. 

VI.— Instantaneous  Photography. 
I  VII.— Flash-light  Photography. 

VIII. — Orthochromatic  or  Color-sensitive  Photography. 

IX.  — Composite  Photography. 

X.  — The  "  Fathers  of  Photography." 
Appendix. —Tables,  Formula?,  etc. 


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To  attain 

Successful 
Results 

Remember  that  your 

Film  Camera  or  Roll-Holder 

should  be  loaded  with 

Blair's  Film, 

and,  if  you  do  not  already 

own  a  Camera,  that  the 

HAWK-EYEZ^KAMARET 

are  leaders  in  design, 

in  finish,  and  in  popularity. 

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Manufacturers,  BOSTON, 

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CHICAGO. 

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TRADE  AGENTS.  NEW  YORK. 

NOTE. — Blair's  Film  is  wound  in  such  a  manner  that 
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two  cheap  patterns,  and  may  be  rewound  on  old  spools 
for  the  latter. 


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"LIGHT=PROOF  FILil  CARTRIDGES "  which  can  be  in- 
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Simplicity  of  operation  and  GOOD 
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ures.    Price  60  cents  each. 


Size,  5! *4f  X4I  inches. 


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Is  a  superior  substitute  for  albumen  paper,  and  is  free  from 
the  defects  common  to  gelatine  and  collodion  papers.  It  gives 
clear  whites,  exquisite  tones  and  high  gloss,  and  does  not 

stain  the  negatives. 

Solio  will  not  curl,  crack,  or  blister  ;  requires 

no  special  handling,  and  can  be  used  with  Ordinary  negatives. 

It  does  not  fix  out. 


NOTICE : 

Nothing  but  the  best  Imported  Paper  is  used  as  a  support  in  the 
manufacture  of  our  Permanent  Bromide  and  Eureka  papers. 
Some  manufacturers  of  cheap  Bromide  Paper  use  inferior  Ameri- 
can paper.  Inferior  paper  makes  inferior  pictures,  and  is  difficult 
to  work  in  crayon.  Eastman's  Permanent  Bromide  Paper  is 
absolutely  reliable. 


astman's 

gromide  paper. 


13  First 
Prize  Medals. 


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Rochester,  N.  Y. 


GETTY  RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 


3  3125  01410  4570 


